INTERVIEW IAN GILLAN

IAN GILLAN, THE MEN WHO SANG SMOKE ON THE WATER, LAZY... DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING MORE? HERE IS THE INTERVIEW...

When you realize you want to be a rock n' roll singer?
It kind of crept up on me, I'd always loved music and rock 'n' roll was happening at the right time for me.

Everyone in my neighbourhood wanted to be a musician, so forming a band was easy when Iwas seventeen years old.

2. How Deep Purple contact to you first time to be its singer?

They were looking for a new singer and I was recommended, so they turned up to check me out at an Episode Six gig.
They recruited me and then Roger and ended up with a singer, a bass player and a song writing team.

Foto de Tommaso Mei

Wich are your principal influences like singer?

Wide ranging, so I'll name just a few: The young Elvis, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, P.J. Proby, Cliff Bennett, Dusty Springfield, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Howling Wolf, James Brown and so on...

You have recorded many albums with Purple, could you  choose your 3 favourites and why?
If you ask me this question tomorrow I will give you a different answer...and as it happens today only one of my favourites is a DP record (Accidentally on Purpose for example, is my number one favourite. So...Bananas (because of Razzle Dazzle), Machine Head and Made in Japan.

I know it's dificult but, which are best musicians in the life of Deep Purple in you opinion?
No such thing, it's all down to personality and taste. For example is Bob Dylan better than Pavarotti. Technically they have all been brilliant but it's the chemistry that makes it work.
Look at the number of football teams made up of galacticos that get beaten by a team of modest individual talent but full of passion and discipline.

In 80's Deep Purple comes back to rock scene with a great album, Perfect Strangers, I suppose this was very special for the group, wich was yourexperience with the rexording with this album?
Long story and often published, but we had a ball - it worked, amd we weren't sure it would.

Your solo career is very interesting, in our first number we interviewed Bernie Torme and he was very happy to have been with you... What is your opinion about your solo career and Bernie?
Bernie was magnificent along with Colin, Mick Janic, John and all the others. I had a ball with them all, but I have to say my favourite line up was Repo Depo - now that was a band!!!

Recently John Lord has announced he has cancer, what is your feeling about that?
The same as yours I am sure.

Roger Glover and you were substituted by Hughes and Coverdale, which is your opinion about this concrete period with them?
No idea, I really didn't pay much attention, I had a life to lead outside DP (I still do).

You recorded Born again with Black Sabbath, a good album for me. How was to work with Iommi and cia?
Tony and I are still good friends and it was great to work with him again on the recent 'Who Cares' project. I loved that record, but the production quality was disappointing.

Wich is your opinion about Ritchie Blackmorre about musician?
Fabulous player and showman, his technique was the envy of every other banjo player of that era.